We Found the Place Where Heaven Meets Earth: The Glamping Collective

If you’ve ever dreamed of sleeping comfortably under the stars with incredible views on top of a mountain, The Glamping Collective in Canton, NC, under two hours from Greenville, SC, is the place to go.

Thank you to The Glamping Collective for hosting us. All opinions are our own.

Situated high atop a mountain near Canton, NC lies a village of geo domes and glass cabins. You can gaze at the stars while lying on your bed or in the hot tub on the deck, roast marshmallows or grill outdoors, and then relax with your favorite book or play cards and charades with your kids. 

The Glamping Collective is where heaven meets earth. 

About the Glamping Collective 

The Glamping Collective is a 160-acre village of geo domes and glass houses atop a mountain that sits around 4,000 feet. 

There are 23 luxury accommodations at the property including geodesic adults-only domes, XL domes that are great for families, and adults-only glass cabins.  There are about five miles of hiking trails and views for days and days. The Glamping Collective is only about ten minutes off I-40 but you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. 

The vision for the Glamping Collective began in 2012 when founders Matt and Christina Bare started dreaming about a mountaintop retreat near Asheville. They went through hundreds of concepts and drawings and plans until they came up with what The Glamping Collective is today. 

Our XL Luxe Dome 

Our XL Luxe Dome was huge. It had two bedrooms, a bathroom, a pullout couch (the best view), kitchen with a toaster oven, two burners, fridge, dishwasher, and table. There are at least three different ways to make your coffee that I counted, which was just such an excellent way to start the morning. 

The bedrooms each have a king bed and the sofa bed can fit two people. The XL domes can sleep up to six people total. The best view, ironically, was the pullout sofa because it is right under the part of the dome that you can move the curtains aside to see straight out. It also had the best view for stargazing. 

The bathroom is a place of absolute luxury. The floor is heated, which felt really nice in the morning when it was a little chilly. But the toilet seat is also heated. I have to say this: I didn’t know luxury until I sat on a heated toilet seat. 

Outdoor Beauty 

I have seen photos of places like the Glamping Collective but wasn’t quite sure they existed in real life. You know those beautiful photos of hot tubs overlooking mountain summits and sunsets, coffee in the morning while you watch the sun streaking over the peaks? Yeah, those. I’m here to tell you they do exist. 

The views at the Glamping Collective are absolutely spectacular. Gazing at the mountains from the inside of our geo dome and the deck and the firepit and grilling area were just unreal. I thought I was looking at a painting most of the time. I sat and admired such beauty and immensely enjoyed it. The mountains in the distance rolled and peaked and the sun took its time setting behind those peaks. 

Once night settled in, we could see the stars through the clear panels inside of our geo dome. We just laid back and watched the stars and were in awe that this was happening and that we were there at that moment. I think that was one of our very favorite parts about the trip. 

The hot tub is cleaned and sanitized after every guest and instructions are given before you check in. We spent some quality time in the hot tub – which is pretty large at the XL domes – relaxing and soaking up the views. 

There’s a big fire pit and chairs at each of the XL domes so it’s very private. This was great because I’m terrible at starting fires and didn’t want anyone making fun of my lack of fire-building skills besides my own kids. If you stay in the adults-only geo domes, there is a community fire pit and several grills you can use. The views there are also unreal – big skies overlooking miles and miles of mountains in the distance. 

My daughters and I enjoyed making s’mores each night outside at the fire pit. Thankfully, the Glamping Collective provides firewood, fire starters, and lighters for their guests so I was able to get enough of a blaze going to toast a few marshmallows. 

The grills are propane so super easy to use if you want to do some outdoor grilling while you’re there. 

Hiking Trails 

There are about five miles of private hiking trails at The Glamping Collective. We did the Sunset Summit Trail, a two-mile round trip hike that takes you to a spectacular mountaintop that has near 360-degree views of Tennessee and North Carolina. We could see the Great Smoky Mountains and all the way out to Mount Pisgah off the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

There is a big swing up top to rest at as well as chairs to admire all the beauty. The hike isn’t easy. It’s pretty much straight up the whole way. I’d say it’s a moderate-hard hike. But then you get an easy hike on the way down. 

I had never stayed at a place that had legitimate hiking trails, much less private ones, at the property. The Sunset Summit Trail was just as hard as many of the public trails I’ve hiked and the best part was that we got the whole summit all to ourselves! It was super cool to have that experience and be able to enjoy a beautiful walk in the woods to reach that private view.

The Creekside Trail was right outside our geodome. It was about a mile total and took us through the woods on a trail loaded with wildflowers. The way we went was mostly downhill. If you start at the bottom instead of the top, you’ll be huffing and puffing most of the way.

If you only have the time or energy to do one trail there, do the Sunset Summit Trail.

Romantic Getaway

The Glamping Collective has adults-only domes and glass cabins that are perfect for your next romantic getaway (or solo getaway!).

Instead of the two bedrooms in the XL domes, these adults-only accommodations have the bed right below the dome, or behind the big glass wall in the cabins, so you get views straight out into the night sky or across the vast mountaintops all day and night. These are just stunning and are really a special place to enjoy time with your loved one. The photo below is of one of the adults-only domes.

Need to Know About Your Stay 

Here are a few things you need to know about coming to the Glamping Collective: 

• The road is steep to get there and then the gravel road to the accommodations, once you enter the property, is also steep. During the winter, it’s required you have 4WD if it’s snowing. You’re not making it up there without it. 
• There are 4 XL domes that sleep up to six people. The other domes and glass houses are adults-only and sleep two people so if you want to come with your kids, be sure to get the XL domes. 
• There are accessible accommodations available. 
• It’s a good 15-20 degrees cooler at The Glamping Collective than in Greenville so dress accordingly. It felt pretty awesome staying there during the early summer when Greenville was already sweltering in the high 80s and we were comfortable in the 60s. 
• There is an Ingles grocery store right at the bottom of the mountain when you get off of I-40. It’s easy to pick up anything you may need for cooking and s’mores on your way up.
• Stay on a weekday for better rates. Weekends and holidays are going to have the highest rates. 
• Accommodations are pet-friendly.
• Except for the ADA-accessible accommodations, you are going to have to walk up short, but kind of steep, paths to get to the front door.

Nearby Things to Do 

If you feel the need to leave your peaceful glamping dome, there are plenty of things to do in the area.

Hiking 

Canton, NC is in the perfect location to get in a few good hikes and then come back and rest and recharge in the hot tub. Some of the best ones nearby, along with number of minutes they are away from The Glamping Collective are: Waterrock Knob (39 minutes), Midnight Hole (51 minutes), Max Patch (57 minutes), Black Balsam (one hour), Graveyard Fields (one hour), Mingo Falls (one hour), Soco Falls (34 minutes), Devil’s Courthouse (53 minutes), Mount Pisgah (40 minutes), and Sam Knob (one hour). There are lots more – use the AllTrails or Gaia apps to find others. 

Waynesville, NC 

I absolutely love exploring small mountain towns. They always have some of the coolest shops, often with only locally-made items adorning the shelves. Waynesville has lots of these great shops plus a Mast General, restaurants, and coffee shops. 

Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridgeway is mere minutes from the Glamping Collective. Take a picnic up there and admire the views! There are also a lot of hikes right off the Parkway.

Splash pad in downtown Canton

There’s a splash pad right in downtown Canton across the river from BearWaters Brewing at 8 Sorrells Street. The Canton farmers market happens there over the summer months every Thursday from 4-8 pm and the splash pad is perfect for smaller kids, especially if they aren’t able to go tubing yet.

BearWaters Brewing

Right on the Pigeon River, BearWaters Brewing serves up a huge Giant Pretzel and other American fare plus lots of great beers on tap. We enjoyed the pretzel and nachos and I tried a delicious Strawberry Wheat beer. 

River Tubing

Over the summer, you can go tubing on the Pigeon River with Pigeon River Outfitters or Cold Mountain Tubing. We missed their opening by days when we went or else we would have certainly done this!

Winchester Creek Farm 

One of our favorite alpaca and mini-horse and cow farms is right near The Glamping Collective. Winchester Creek Farm offers great tours of their beautiful farm, a gift shop, and seasonal events. Definitely check them out when you’re there!

Lake Junaluska

I have yet to explore this beautiful lake but I do know you can rent kayaks and paddleboards and pay to swim in a pool that is part of the community on Lake Junaluska.

Biltmore

The Biltmore is a 28-minute drive from The Glamping Collective and you can easily spend a day there touring the mansion, strolling through the gardens, doing a free wine tasting, and having lunch or dinner there. 

Honest Mom Review

To say I was blown away by The Glamping Collective would be an understatement. The accommodations were so beautiful, relaxing and peaceful. It’s a quiet place. There are no televisions (they do have WiFi) and every aspect of the property invites you to rest and relax and forget about life during your visit. 

My daughters really enjoyed our time there as well – from running around at the top of the summit trying to be Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music to roasting marshmallows to relaxing in the hot tub. It was time well spent together.

Staying at The Glamping Collective is a treat. The accommodations are on the higher end of unique stays but my goodness, are they beautiful. There are few places like this in our area and no place I have ever traveled compares to what The Glamping Collective offers. 

Book Your Own Stay

You can easily make your reservation at The Glamping Collective website. Weekdays are generally priced less than weekends. 

The Glamping Collective
2504 Crabtree Mountain Road, Clyde, NC
The Glamping Collective Website